Been down this 'Road' too often

Producers — disappointed in the poor Thanksgiving weekend audience reception — kept the movie made from Cormac McCarthy’s popular end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it book in art houses and a few major market outlets.

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Viggo Mortensen (The Lord of the Rings) is cast as a man traveling with his young son through apocalyptic America in search of safety and civilization. It’s dark. Cold. Wet. Food is scarce. Danger from cannibals and looters lurks everywhere. The man has two bullets. One for him and one for his son.

Mortensen is never better than when he is a man of few words, which is fortunate because The Road has very little dialogue.

There really isn’t anything to say. You can’t blame audiences for skipping this one. It’s a grind. Each weary, rainy step is agony. Around every corner is more desolation. More destruction. More misery.

About Gary Wolcott

Gary Wolcott's "Mr. Movie" column has appeared in the Tri-City Herald since 1992. The Tri-Cities native now lives in Portland, Ore., and watches about 200 movies each year. He believes movies are made to be seen on theater screens and that you should see them there, too. He also encourages questions and comment and loves movie debate.